South Africa is sending a representative to next week's Middle East peace conference in the U.S. city of Annapolis, Maryland near Washington.

In a statement Saturday the South African government says Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will participate in the summit designed to find a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry says South Africa hopes to share its experience transitioning from apartheid to democracy as part of the international effort to achieve peace in the Middle East.